the things undercover
by lazetta croft
Summary: when tony runs from a fight, it must be the leader who should take a stand. what steve does not know is about the palladium in the person he is facing. (steve fannies, please ignore! Tony fannie, please review!)
1. Chapter 1

He would not tell anyone.  
Tony clambered from his suit. He ran towards the bathroom, before heaving his lunch over.  
Steve shouted to deaf ears in the comlink. Tony took it out before he could hear the retching.  
Tony flushed away the bile and fell face first in the bed.  
The rest of the avengers fought the doombots alone.  
Tony changed rhe palladium core. Jarvis would advise not to use the suit.  
"the world needs iron man, j." tony muttered,his voice casual.  
The world needed iron man, not the man inside it.  
Steve came home, threw his shield at the corner and dashed towards the lab.  
It was empty.  
"jarvis where is stark?" steve raised his head up towards the ceiling.  
"captain rogers , I would advise against-  
"just guide me where he is damnit!" steve changed his voice dramatically.  
Steve ran as jarvis prompted the directions.  
He opened the door, to see Tony asleep.  
Steve, fuming, pulled the blanket and threw it on the floor.  
This woke Tony up.  
He sat up on the face was flushed and eyes looked red, not like Steve cared.  
"what happened rogers?" tony asked meekly.  
"what the hell is wrong with you?!" steve raised his voice making tony flinch. steve normally had a good control over anger like bruce, but injustice and recklessness made him bolder than a bobcat in cat reserve.  
Tony was shaken with this tone of Steve. He got down from the bed.  
"Natasha has fractured her leg because mr. Stark here wouldn't help her. Was it so important to sleep? Why? Does staying in the battlefield and helping friends cramp your style?"  
Tony clenched his fists and eyes and steve continued.  
" you never listen to anyone! Can we even trust you?"  
Tony felt his nails dig into his skin.  
"I don't even know how howard put up with a guy who can abandon his teammates !"  
Enough.  
Tony ran out of the room.  
Steve felt satisfaction and he retreated to the common floor.  
Xxx  
Tony ran through the cold hallways of the tower, towards his lab.  
The lab smelt of oil and machines. Dum-e ran towards Tony. Tony smiled and patted him.  
"jarvis?"  
"online sir."  
"do you think I should not be on the team?"  
"sir, you are a team do not let mr. Rogers affect you."  
" I wish I could hug you. " Tony muttered before settling on the sofa and falling asleep.  
Dum-e retreated to his charging station.  
An iron man armour silently came and hugged Tony, to his surprise.  
"I can still hug you sir."  
Tony felt tears come to his eyes.  
Xxx  
Steve went red whenever he saw Natasha limping.  
Clint was passed out on the sofa, frowning.  
Thor was eying his hammer, and Bruce , still pallid, was passed out on another couch.  
The t.v was on . A news reporter was blabbering between layers of mascara.  
To Steve, it didn't matter. All he could see , hear and feel was anger.  
Raw anger.  
Xxx  
Tony started working. There would be something except palladium.  
Natasha came skipping down the workshop. Not like tony noticed her.  
" any luck?"  
"no actually... Hey!" he glared at Natasha. And then her plaster cast. It had spiders on it, courtesy of Clint.  
Tony felt downright ashamed.  
The black widow was limping because of him.  
"tony?"  
"yeah?"  
"its not your mistake."  
Tony dropped the screwdriver on the table. Natasha continued.  
"i know why you ran. The core was depleted, right?"  
Tony nodded. Natasha smiled.  
"come on, we ordered pizza." Natasha said warmly.  
"no, actually i have work..."  
" it is Steve isn't it?"  
"how do you know?" tony snapped his full attention towards Natasha.  
"his com was on." Natasha rolled her eyes.  
Tony shook his head. His heart felt heavy. Even if Natasha accepted that it was not his mistake, tony would always feel heavy hearted. No, tony wont go. Not when Steve was near. Steve would chew his head off. Nonononono. Never.  
"tony?"  
"no." tony snapped, twirling his thumbs.  
"why?"  
"i have work to do."  
" i will be waiting." Natasha twirled around carefully and limped her way out of the lab.  
Tony trailed his eyes before her and sighed. He went to his armour .  
"j, lets go for a few rounds."  
Xxxx  
Natasha limped in the common room. Steve immediately ran to her assistance. Natasha swatted him away with a dark expression. strange.  
"i don't need your help."  
"everyone needs help sometime, tasha."  
"funny who is speaking this isn't it." Natasha snapped 's face scrunched up in confusion.  
" you heard?"  
" com link."  
"tasha," Steve said ," he needed that, running out like that."  
" maybe you didn't ask him why, you wouldn't understand."  
Natasha limped away from Steve and adjusted herself nearby Clint . Clint smiled, taking the red sketch pen from the table and drawing more spiders on her cast.  
Steve hung his head in shame before running towards tony's lab.  
Xxx  
Of course, the lab was empty.  
The robots were arranged in their charging stations. Jarvis brightened the lights. The lab looked devastated.  
Steve was actually astonished by a iron man hologram, which was left on the table.(how come?) he was jerking and convulsing.  
"Jarvis , what is wrong with this hologram?"  
"this hologram was being tested by an alternative core for the palladium reactor.  
" why would he do that?"  
"that information is classified."  
Steve nodded . He tried to settle the hologram resulting failure, thus exiting the lab.  
Xxx  
Clint woke up to a sunny morning in his room, ( who carried him?). He smiled at the birds outside. He took a minute to polish his bow . He opened the door and Natasha nearly knocked at his head.  
" mr. Sleepyhead finally woke up."  
Clint rolled his eyes. "yup. Who is making breakfast today?"  
"bruce."  
"why did you take so long to tell me?!" clint exclaimed. He ran towards the elevator , to the kitchen. Natasha slapped her head. Sometimes, the hawk can be such a kid.


	2. Chapter 2

**heyya! Long time no see. I was busy updating other works. Review!**

tony didn't appear for lunch. Not like Steve cared anyway. Natasha kept a close watch at the door, high in hopes. After a week when tony didn't appear, Steve fighted his guilt against tony's health. The man had definately been working him to death.

Steve entered the workshop. Heavy breathing could be heard in the room. Steve picked his pace. Dum-e whirred near Steve, worried in his own way. A mug of coffe was sitting forgotten of the counter. And there was tony.

he looked terrible, which was an was leaning against the wall, while sitting on the floor. His breathing came out in eyes were sunken and had dark circles surrounding it. He had taken his reactor out.

oh god.

Steve immediately ran to his side and snatched the reactor from his hands . His glossy eyes met Steve's electric blue eyes for a brief moment before Steve pushed the reactor in. Tony convulsed and his body jerked .

"are you an idiot?" Steve asked him. Tony didn't reply. He motoined towards the nearest camera.

" if i may interrupt," Jarvis spoke," sir was changing the palladium core which is essential for the reactor to work."

"oh." Steve shook his head apologetically. Tony glared daggers at him while pressing the reactor and twisting it out.

it was beautiful. It was glowing. It was...smoking?

tony pressed it again and took out a chip. It was the source of the smoke. Tony quickly pressed a new chip and inserted the reactor again.

"why was that smoking?" Steve asked.

"neuron damage."

" is that why you are searching an alternative?"

tony widened his eyes. Someone prodding about the reactor...uncomfortable. Tony stood up, arching his back.

"sorry capsicle, no time for going daisy-plumy tasks." with the dejectable note, tony left his lab.


	3. not a chapter

this is not a is the tribute to my nation, , 26 January, is the republic day of India. The constution of India came into affect this day.

 _the foriegn air may win my heart, but i will be with my country forever._

a salute to India, my silent tribute

jai hind..


	4. Chapter 4

Author is finally-  
No you dont!  
Umm...  
Ahem. Narrarator , meet meet narrarator, an annoying character in my author's note.  
Author is done ber-  
Oi!  
So. Hey. Long time no seeeeeeeee. I kinda am done with my exams so ...yay! I even got the result. 75 out of 80 ! I am in the clouds!  
Author is finally-  
*sigh*let it be. I am tired. Gonna have coffee with bruce.  
Author is finally done berating the readers.😎  
Note;the story has jumped to the scene after the race in monaco (iron man 2) I will change the scenes of iron man 2 a lot. Everything from the movie belongs to marvel.

Tony arched his back in the car. The holograms were shimmering with eyeopening information. He will need coffee.  
Like a whole bucket of it.  
The gates of the lab opened. Tony was to engrossed in the holograms to look back.  
Anton vanko ...vanko...howard stark...technology...  
"they are going to take the suits Tony!"  
Tony blinked. Oh. Rhodey. When did...  
Someone put a hand on his shoulder and turned him around.  
It was rhodey.  
Tony didnt realise that he gave a look which made rhodey soften up.  
All that rang in tony's ear was, ' I am gonna die soon. Everyone at peace...captain...happy...pepper...ceo...birthday...borrowed time...yinsen...yinsen...pepper...rhodey...rhodey,...pepper...yinsen...rhodey...  
"Tony!"  
Tony blinked his eyes. He was on the floor, rhodey bending onto him. Rhodey pulled him up.  
"are you okay?" rhodey asked.  
Was he? No. But, important things first.  
"I think you should take me to my desk."  
Rhodey thankfully obliged. That was the thing Tony liked about the man. Obedience. Without questioning.  
Tony slumped on his seat as soon as rhodey dropped him. Doing as he was told, rhodey pulled out a cold, sleek..a brown box from the drawer. It was full of...something. No ideas.  
Tony looked weakly at the box, pulling a sleek chip out. He fitted it in the reactor, after taking the older one out.  
The older one was... smoking.  
Rhodey stared worringly as Tony put the reactor back in his chest.  
He began to drink some kind of green liquid.  
" why was it smoking?"  
Tony answered without looking. "neuron damage. Its from the reactor wall. "  
"what about the high tech crossword tatoo at your neck?" rhodey asked, eyes slitting tony's throat.  
"road rash."  
Rhodey laughed humourlessly, making Tony turn towards him, suprised.  
" road rash? That looks like the television wiring to me."  
Tony nodded turning back. His eyes betrayed his hopelessness.  
"Tony? I am serious."  
"let it be."  
" how can I let it be! Look at you! What the hell happened?!"  
Tony turned towards rhodey again, looking worse than before. Rhodey noticed that his eyes were red rimmed.  
Rhodey gaped at tony's emotionless face.  
"I will be talking to pepper and the team." he muttered, leaving Tony alone with his thoughts.  
XXX  
Rhodey walked , hand slivering on the slender rails of the staircase. He knew he should have taken the elevator, but his Mind was too occupied to think logically.  
He remembered the ghastliness of tony's face. The hoplessness. The pain. The fear.  
Everything that rhodey could think about was, what in the world could trouble Tony stark to this extent?  
Xxx  
Steve could only gape as the pillow came flying over his face.  
" why, clint barton! You are dead!" Steve screamed maniacly, making everyone except Natasha chuckle. Natasha was still bugged with Steve.  
They were having fun.  
That is why, even Natasha didnt realise when a certain rhodey and pepper entered the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi!**

 **so...I know I haven't been updating this fic since loooooooooooooooooooooooooooong...but ya know, I read this, I seriously felt that the detailing was fine, judging by my usual horrifical writing. Since I only need to check the capitalization, I thought continuing this would be nice :) Guys, I forgot, i read some fics, and came to know this is similiar to some fics. that was unintentional and i am sorry!**

"So." Rhodes folded his hands and gave the team a cold stare.

" Hello Mr-" Steve began.

"What's up with him?!" Pepper interrupted.

" Sorry?"

" Tony. What's up with him?"

There was a sudden hitch in pepper's voice, which made the team drop their smiles a bit. Bruce and Steve were clear cut confused, Clint's mood was blown to pieces as he remembered the happenings of the last few days, Natasha, however , backed from the duo.

"Well...if you are talking about the recent mission..." Bruce began.

" He was quite..." Steve continued..

"Despicable." Clint shot.

Bruce glared at Clint.

Pepper glared at Clint too. She shot a meaningful look at Rhodey, who nodded. "What do you mean, 'despicable'?"

Clint shuffled on his feet nervously. Pepper was scary as hell. "He left in the middle of a mission."

"Tony did that?" Pepper asked, face a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

"Yeah ." Steve interrupted so that Clint would keep his anger to himself.

"Well i am gonna talk to him. " Pepper spat angrily. "alone. she added as Rhodey turned to follow.


	6. Chapter 6

"Tony! Why the hell-"

Pepper stopped right in her tracks when she saw Tony. There were bags under his eyes, his hair were tousled, and he was injecting something in his arm. The lab looked devastated. He had thrown one of the paintings at one of the desks. Dum-E was desperately trying to pick up the broken pieces of a coffee cup. Tony carried on without n0oticing that Pepper was in the lab, until Jarvis announced her presence.

"Oh...hi Pep." He gave her a cheerful, but tired smile.

"Tony, what are you up to?"

"Huh?" He kept the injection on the table near him, and turned his full attention to Pepper.

"I talked to the team."

"Oh."

"Why would you do that?" Pepper demanded. "Tony , you really should'nt turn down people who trust you, why do you have to be so stubborn..." She sighed, "Try apologizing. They will forgive you. For sure." She bit her lip. "Though you must not repeat this stuff..."

"Pep, I am so sorry... I just fell sick ...But I am fine now!" He exclaimed as Pepper looked at him, worried.

"Hon, are you okay?" She touched his forehead. "Well no, you do have a temperature. I am so sorry hon, come, you should rest."

"Nah Pep, I am fine!"  
"But I guess you havent slept since long..."  
"I have!"  
"Swear on me."

"Yeah, I am sorry too."

Pepper smiled as she dragged him to the lift.


End file.
